Salary

Average Salary: $77,120

Expected Lifetime Earnings: $3,220,000


The average salary for an engineer in the United States Department of Defense (or DoD if you're in the know) is around $80,000 per year. When compared to the average salary for engineering jobs in the private sector, a DoD Engineer should make at least $20,000 more per year (source).

That is the average, however. Entry-level positions may start as low as $50,000 per year, based on education and experience (source).

On the other side of the curve, defense engineers who've been with the government for more than a decade can expect as much as $130,000 per year. This, of course, could vary depending on the type of project an engineer is on (source). After all, the best way to keep someone tight-lipped about top top-secret projects is to make sure their pockets are lined.

You keep the cash. We'll take the pie crust.